For the first time in my life, my legs fail me as Tony sweeps me into his arms and drives me back to the ranch.
Lance
“Lance, man, it’s late.”
“What the hell happened to Harper?”
“She finally told you?”
“I was halfway to the highway when I realized I had no idea who I was going to murder.”
“You’re talking crazy.”
I uncap my bottle. “I’m feeling a little crazy, brother.”
“I’m not telling you shit until you can handle it. But I’m glad she told you.”
“Why didn’t you?” I grit out. “You’re supposed to be my friend.”
I drain some of the whiskey sitting in my truck parked behind her rental. I refuse to let her go, though she hasn’t walked out of the house since Tony brought her in. I’m lucky she had too much to drink or else she’d be long gone.
“I’m sorry, man, she begged me.”
“Motherfucker!” I slam my fist into the dash.
“Lance, you have to calm down. I know it’s the last thing you want to hear, but going off the rails isn’t the solution.”
“Tell me what happened.”
“You going to chill?”
“I’m not going anywhere tonight. I make no promises for tomorrow.”
Troy sighs over the line. “I get it. I really do. Let me change the baby and get her a bottle. Hold up. I have to set my phone down.”
Troy’s voice sounds up again a second later. “Hey, baby girl. You hungry?”
I hear the answering coo of his daughter. She’s desperately trying to discuss it with him. I can hear the kiss he gives her before the rip of a diaper.
“Look at Daddy’s baby. Look at you. You’re a hot mess,” he coos back. “Stinky too, but I’ll forgive you because you’re so damned pretty.” She’s wide open now, her wordless conversation coming out in breaths and grunts. I can picture her, fists raised and flying, helpless and utterly dependent on him. My emotions shift as I listen to their exchange, and I do my best to steady myself for what I’m about to hear. A few minutes later, he’s back on the line.
“Hey, man, you still there?”
“Pretty manipulative using your kid like that.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Tell me what happened, Jenner.”
He lets out a long breath. “It was in the parking lot, after the game. She told me she was on her way to wait for you.”
I sip the bottle, my vision blurring in a mix of pain and rage. “They threw a full soda can at her head at the end of the fourth and split it. She was on her way to get help when they pinned her to her Toyota in the parking lot. That’s when I walked out.”
It’s everything I can do to keep from ripping the cab of my truck apart.
“It was Yates and his crew. He was threatening her. Telling her, it was her fault and that she had fucked up a whole football season because she couldn’t keep her legs closed. I lost it.”
“Jesus Christ,” I rub my temple.
“I went to the ER with her as she was stitched up and…”
“Don’t hold out on me, man.”
“There was a lot of blood. She was hysterical. She refused to report it. She knew you would blow a gasket.” I think back to that night. I remember her making an excuse for not picking me up after a game. It was nearly a month before we broke up. She’d been hiding it that long?
“I’m so sorry, man. It was fucking horrible to witness. I damn near killed Yates, but it wasn’t just him. They came at her from all sides.”
“Why? Why didn’t you tell me? I could have protected her.”
“No, you couldn’t, and she was protecting you. Tell me she’s there. That you’re working things out?”
“I don’t think that’s happening, man.” I’m seconds from exploding but have no outlet. I’ve damaged everything. My relationship with my parents is strained, Trevor thinks I’m off my rocker. Even Tony is fed up. And Harper, the love of my fucking life, is disgusted by me. I’ve ruined myself. I’ve ruined damn near everything good about my life.
“I’ve done some pretty fucked up things to Clarissa. She forgave me. Don’t give up.”
“I don’t know if she’s capable of loving me the same.”
“You’d be surprised. But trust me when I say, I got him, and I got him good. I didn’t want you to blow your chance at the draft, either.”
“Yeah. A lot of good it did.”
“Big oversight on their part. You know how I feel about that. But you’re where you belong now. I believe that, and you do too. She was right about you, and you were about her. Lance, she’s one of the good ones.”
My eyes burn as I try to put myself in her shoes. “All this time, she never told me.”
“Would you want to admit it?”
No. And I didn’t. For years I’ve kept my own shit to myself. And the fact that tonight she saw what I dealt with growing up was humiliating.
“Do you think…” I swallow because it shouldn’t matter, but the words feel like acid coming off my tongue, “she’s ugly?”
“My opinion never mattered to you before. And that’s what she didn’t want to open your eyes to. Honestly, she’s not conventionally beautiful, but no, I don’t think she’s ugly at all.”
“She believes she is,” I say, heart obliterated. “I think she’s fucking perfect.”
“That’s all that matters. You think I give a shit if you think my wife is pretty?”
“Troy, how…how could they hurt her?”
It’s then I see the livid eyes and hear the voice of Ryan Elliot years ago in my driveway.
“She’s not like other girls. She won’t recover if you rip her heart out. She’s been through a lot, and you’re subjecting her to a lot more.”
He thought I knew. He thought I knew they were hurting her.
“People are fucked up, man. It’s not because of the way she looks, it’s because of the way she looks next to you.”
I choke on my emotion, and he hears it.
“Hey, you know I’ve got some time off. I can come down.”
“Fuck, Troy, what am I going to do?”
“Love her. That’s all she wants.”
“That’s not a problem.” I’m breaking apart, piece by piece, as I stare at her window.
“Look,” he says on an exhale, “you were there for me when I needed you, and I’m trying to do the same. I’m just asking you to think, okay? Think. Absolutely nothing good can happen from you going after them now. Get some sleep, man. You’ll get her back tomorrow.”
“Damn,” I run a hand down my face. “Jesus, I’m so fucked.”
“You’re not, it just looks bleak. She’s your reason to fight, always.”
It’s then I crack wide open. Because it’s the truth. It’s the absolute truth.
“I gotta go.”
Harper